While the motto “The customer is always right” is generally believed and expected to be followed, such as in the hospitality industry, there are situations that prove otherwise. This is where the training of, for instance, a restaurant’s front of house (FOH) comes in as the customer-facing part of the operation.

“Yes, we do rely on instinct, but at the same time, as a restaurant, it’s on us to provide our staff with the tools and the equipment to deal with it,” said Jamie Garaci on dealing with what can be considered as difficult guests.

The consultant at The Standard Hospitality Group, which operates the restaurant franchises Yabu, Ippudo, Elephant Grounds, and Kiwani in the Philippines was among the panelists at last Monday’s informative conference on restaurant service. It was organized and hosted by Angelo Comsti, a food consultant and Inquirer Lifestyle columnist, and Isabel Lozano, owner and chief executive officer at Decorum.